It is vital to promote inclusive, safe, efficient, diverse, affordable, accessible, and comfortable transportation in order to achieve sustainable economic development across sectors.
According to experts, a sustainable transportation system should reduce pollution, boost the economy, enhance people’s quality of life, and benefit society as a whole.
A coalition of interested parties has united to plan the Sustainable Transport Festival 2023 in an effort to increase public awareness of the need for more environmentally friendly forms of transportation, such as walking and cycling.
By commemorating World Bicycle Day in 2021, the Let’s Get Lagos Moving Campaign group began to advocate for non-motorized transportation (NMT) options in the state.
The event was well-received and had measurable effects, which encouraged the organization to work with the Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to plan Lagos’ first Car Free Day for 2022.
Olasumbo Olaniyi, an official with Urban Better, stated that the program’s goals were to promote environmental activism and inspire change.
“Lagos is heavily motorized and about 70 per cent of all we do depends largely on movement and vehicles, which are mostly aged and emit a lot of noxious gasses, affecting the air quality. People spend a lot of time on the road and encouraging NMTs can help reduce this time and even help the state economically,” he claimed.
Agbo Francis of FT Cycle Care lamented the low level of NMT acceptability, pointing out that riding may be a simple form of transportation and a source of income for many Nigerians.
He lamented the fact that many public areas do not accommodate NMTs in addition to the evident lack of infrastructure to support them.
The four-day 2023 Sustainable Transport Festival got underway yesterday and runs through September 23, 2023. Today’s walkability assessment of Ikeja’s streets will evaluate their walkability, accessibility, and air quality. The festival will begin with a series of live online debates.
